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i suppose the fact that there is no dealer willing to get you a test bike to take for a spin in the right size isn't looking to good (imho) in regards to possibly future service.in the age of high dollar carbon frames that don't necessarily live as long as you would hope for, i think the dealer or better the relationship with the dealer becomes just as important as the bike it self..

There are Specialized dealers near me who can order an S-Works Tarmac in my size. I just have to give them a down payment and they will order the bike and build it up for me. I think it takes about two days for them to receive the bike from their distributor.

I have taken a Specialized Tarmac for a test, just not an S-Works one. I'm guessing the geometry is the same, just different component groups and different grades of carbon used in the frame construction.

In a blind test, I doubt you could tell the difference in riding a pro vs an s-works frame. I had an SL3 pro, as well as an S-works, and the only difference was about 50g for a size 58. (My s-works has yellow paint, where the pro was mostly nude carbon - so there apparently was 50g more paint on the s-works) Identical geometry, just 1 grade lower carbon construction. They had identical cockpits and components. And honestly, if I were pushed, I'd say the pro was marginally stiffer.

You'll notice much more difference in wheels / cockpit. You'd do better to spend the extra $$ between a pro and an s-works on a power meter

Are you talking Clinchers or Tubular (guess clinchers). If you plan to use the bike only in dry weater the Zipps or Reynolds could be an option (Zipps have better rims, Reynolds have the dt hubs which imho. are better). In any orther case I would say aluminium rims would be better, don't like the looks of the 9000 C50's but they are trouble free, roll well and have wider rims and so far heard nothing bad about them (which can't be said about the other two).

sharkman wrote:Are you talking Clinchers or Tubular (guess clinchers). If you plan to use the bike only in dry weater the Zipps or Reynolds could be an option (Zipps have better rims, Reynolds have the dt hubs which imho. are better). In any orther case I would say aluminium rims would be better, don't like the looks of the 9000 C50's but they are trouble free, roll well and have wider rims and so far heard nothing bad about them (which can't be said about the other two).

I'm talking tubulars. I have a set of aluminum rims for day to day use, but I would get the bike with carbon tubulars and save the tubulars for racing.

I'm wondering if the Zipps might be more durable for a rider of my weight/size. They have a higher spoke count than the Reynolds and DAs, and they are rated for riders up to 250lbs, which I'm well below, .